1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a metering valve for dispensing a preferably cosmetic liquid, a device with such a metering valve, a process for producing such a metering valve and use of such a metering valve or such a device.
2. Description of Related Art
The concept of “cosmetic liquid” includes, in a narrow sense, hair spray, hair lacquer, a deodorant, a foam, a gel, a coloring spray, a sunscreen or skin care agent or the like. Preferably, in a wider sense also other body care products, cleaning products, cosmetics, or the like, and also suspensions and fluids, especially with gaseous phases, are included. However, other liquids, for example, air fresheners, and especially also technical liquids and fluids, such as rust looseners or the like, can also be used. But, for reasons of simplification and based on the focus of use, often, only cosmetic liquids are addressed below.
U.S. Patent Application Publications 2003/0190085 A1 and 2003/023063 disclose a devices for metered atomization of a cosmetic liquid, a container containing the liquid having a metering valve with a movable valve element in a valve housing. The valve element together with the valve housing forms a supply-side inlet valve and a dispensing-side outlet valve. The valve element is preferably provided with a slipped-on spray head or the like for dispensing and atomization of the liquid. By pressing down the spray head the valve element is moved axially, by which first the supply-side inlet value of the metering valve is closed and only then is the dispensing-side outlet valve of the metering valve opened. Then, the liquid which preferably contains a propellant can escape from the metering space formed in the valve housing and can be atomized and delivered by the connected spray head.
To fill containers with a cosmetic liquid under pressure, in addition to the so-called “undercup” process in which filling is done by lifting or before setting a cover with the metering valve on the container, therefore before actual closing of the container, bypassing the metering valve, increasingly so-called “pressure filling” is used in which filling takes place through the metering valve or past the metering valve between the cover and a dispensing-side sealing element of the metering valve. Higher filling pressures are being increasingly used in filling in order to reduce the filling time.
The known metering valves are not ideal for pressure filling and/or for sealing and/or do not allow optimum securing of the seal with a simple structure.